American history

American history

Introduction

British North America was made up of three major regions by the mid-eighteenth

century. All the three regions had common elements which led them to unite in 1776 in the war of independence. The colonies also had a very strong economic drive plus their religion that is Christianity had much influence on their society. However, the three regions had so many differences when it came to their ethnic organization, Christian denominations and economic setup and strategies.

As a result of the Act of Union between England and Scotland, a new era of Scottish migration began in 1707( Danzer P.34-36 ). Due to the heavy migration of the Scott-Irish and

German migration into the middle colonies caused an impact in their religion making them  have an open religion, a pluralist society and a different political system from the Northern

colonies and the Southern colonies.

Harsh winters and infertile land in the Northern colonies as opposed to the Southern colonies, the Northern colonies adopted a manufacturing type of economy. The Southern colonies, due to their excellent fertile soils and free labor from slavery they opted for farming as their main economic activity. According to David (P.115-119), the Northern colonies looked to their natural resources to develop them for manufacturing as a way to make their income.

The three colonies had different political organizations. According to Loewen (P.46-48), in the Northern colonies the government was controlled by the church. In the Southern colonies  the government was controlled by the wealthy who were the plantation owners.

Religion in the three colonies also differed in that, although the northern colonies had an equal social structure they strictly observed the Puritan lifestyle(Howard P.63-68). In the middle

colonies they advocated for religious freedom by welcoming people of different faiths other than their own.

Trade was one of the factors that weakened the relationship between Britain and its American colonies. The  British government obtained its raw materials from the colonies hence the colonies did not sell any raw products hence to cover their cost they opted for illegal trade and smuggling. According to (The Library of Congress P.38-39), England’s passage of the

Navigation Act and Staples Act and the Molasses Act limited the ability of the colonies to trade and also established courts to punish smugglers. Colonial masters resented the idea which led to the deterioration in relations with their colonizers.

Although the British government and the colonies fought on the same side in the French and Indian war  tension and anxiety arose between the colonies and the British government. This was as a result of the declaration made by the British government that only British soldiers would lead the army rather than the colonists who had raised their own army to defend their own land. British government’s Proclamation of 1763, which banned the colonists to settle beyond the Appalachian Mountains(Howard, P.54-59). The British government built military posts along the proclaimed border. These colonists felt that the colonial government was not adhering to their right to freely expand. This weakened the relationship between the Great Britain and the colonies.

                                                                     Conclusion                                    

In 1770-1750, the three American colonies had vast differences in their religious beliefs society organization economic setup and political organizations. The three could also have similarities which led them to unite and fight the war for independence. Excessive use of power by the  British government led to the deterioration in relations with the three colonies.

References

McCullough, David. John Adams. Simon & Schuster, 2008.

Zinn, Howard. A People’s History Of The United States. Harper, 2017.

“Ushistory.Org”. The Library Of Congress, 2018, https://www.loc.gov/item/2003533315/. Accessed 10 Sept 2018.

“Digital History: Using New Technologies To Enhance Teaching And Research2015 078 Steven Mintz Et Al. Digital History: Using New Technologies To Enhance Teaching And Research Houston, TX University Of Houston Gratis”. Vol 29, no. 2, 2015, pp. 46-47. Emerald, doi:10.1108/rr-09-2014-0278.

Danzer, Gerald A. The Americans. Evanston, Ill.: McDougal Littell, 2007. Print.

Loewen, James W. Lies My Teacher Told Me. NEW YORK: NEW PRESS, 2018. Print.